UNC-CH might not identify finalists

It says it's guarding its prospects' privacy as it seeks a successor for James Moeser

CHAPEL HILL -- The committee searching for UNC-Chapel Hill's next chancellor most likely will not identify any finalists before making its selection.

Some universities announce top candidates and even hold public forums so the community can have a say in the process. Others treat the information as a closely guarded treasure, to be discussed only behind closed doors.

In Chapel Hill, the committee is leaning toward the latter approach, said Nelson Schwab, its chairman. His reasoning is common among universities that keep such information private: The promise of discretion makes many candidates more willing to apply.

"I can tell you several of the people we've talked to would not be involved if it were a public search," Schwab said Monday. "They have positions of respect elsewhere, and they're really happy in these positions."

Schwab would not discuss particular candidates or say how close the committee is to finding a successor for James Moeser, UNC-CH's chancellor since 2000. The search leading to Moeser's selection also was secretive, and few in Chapel Hill had ever heard his name before he was hired.

Last week, a consultant helping UNC-CH with the search said the applicant pool was stellar and included many sitting university presidents, provosts and deans. Often, sitting presidents or chancellors aren't seeking new jobs but are coaxed into applying by headhunters with the provision that their identities will remain hidden lest they burn a bridge with their current employers.

But Art Padilla, an N.C. State University management professor and author of "Portraits in Leadership," a study of college presidencies, said he hasn't found hard data suggesting that universities actually lose out by making the names of finalists public.

"Clearly, it's easier to have a closed decision process with only a couple people making decisions," he said. "I think you would have more information if you made it public."

UNC campuses have employed both models. Some, including UNC-CH and, more recently, N.C. Central University, have at least tried to keep the names private. Others, such as Appalachian State University in 2004, selected a chancellor after bringing in three finalists for campus forums.

UNC-CH's search committee next meets Feb. 28.